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Tag Archives: hypnotic-suggestion

I’ve been fascinated in hypnosis. It may not exist in the paranormal light it is often presented, but I’d like to learn more about it. It seems to have a sociological aspect to its existence. Have a look at hypnosis training with a portable EEG Machine. If this were reproducible and only through hypnosis, then there might be a case for its validity. Like the Amazing Kreskin, I don’t believe in a hypnotic trance or an altered state of reality is required to fool someone or to influence people.

Derren Brown and Criss Angel have gotten pretty popular in recent years. There are others that are more classic and have preceded them. These people need consultants. Some of these people include Banachek, Max Maven, and Richard Osterlind. Even Penn & Teller turn to others for help, but they have done some original stunts and research of their own.

It seems the CIA was pretty interested in behavior modification for some 20 odd years. MK-Ultra and Mind Control. Yumm…

Suprisingly, some scientists seem to give credibility to hypnosis [Scientific American]. Although I don’t have a first hand account of things in the article, the descriptions sound fishy enough. A person who is not hypnotized can and will drop their hands after imagining a heavy ball (and even imagining they aren’t). People’s arms get tired and will droop in a natural setting over time. That is a poor measurement for being under the influence of hypnotic suggestion. This brings me back to my first example of an EEG. Analyzing the brain is a better method than going on personal accounts. People will believe anything. Hynoplacebo effect? On the other end, I read that one study found little or no significant difference in EEG readings. So maybe there is nothing to get excited about.